A small team from Lakewood went to help in the Emergency Response efforts coordinated by the Methodist Churches in the area of the Bastrop Wildfires that occurred in September 2011. The local Conference is leading the response effort along with a number of local churches. Our team joined up with volunteers from local churches from Bastrop and Austin, and also teams from a church in Boerne and Memorial Drive UMC in Houston.
The sights in the area after these devastating fires were very sad. Many people have lost homes or other personal property and the destruction to the local forestation is great. We worked on two houses helping the home owners clean away the ash and debris that was left after their homes were destroyed. The fires consumed or melted most everything in these houses with the exception of a few ’carcases’ of metal appliances and cars.
The Methodist Church, through UMCOR and the local congregations and mission teams, are reaching out in every way they can to help families recover from this calamity. It is heartwarming to see all the churches, local businesses, and other NGO’s helping those in need.
Our thanks goes out to the local churches who provided us a place to stay and lunch every day, and Him who sent us and kept us safe.
Click link below for slideshow: https://picasaweb.google.com/114384879384022556115/BastropWildfireRecovery#
Filed under: Domestic Tagged: | Disaster Recovery, Lakewood UMC, missions, UMCOR, wildfires
